Page 31 of A Baby for the Billionaire Cowboy
“We have umbrellas and rubber boots.” Mama patted Daisy’s hand. “Do you think you can walk fifty feet?”
“I guess so. I feel like I’ve paced a mile already tonight. What’s up? If you’re planning to distract me with office work, don’t trust my numbers later.”
Instead of answering, Mama hustled Daisy into rubber boots and Josh’s big raincoat. Xander messaged TC to let him know to go directly to the cottage. It was chilly and windy out, but Daisy actually paused and lifted her face to the breeze. “Oh. That feels nice.”
They got her to the cottage before the next contraction hit. “What are we doing here?” Daisy asked as Xander took the raincoat. She closed her eyes, and her face twisted. Xander timed that contraction. Fifty-five seconds.
Daisy opened her eyes and took a big breath. “Okay.” She looked around the cottage living room. “It looks great, but what are we doing?”
“Come this way.” Mama grabbed Daisy’s hand and led her toward the second of the small bedrooms.
They stopped in the doorway. Daisy gasped. Xander looked over her shoulder. He’d seen the room fully furnished, but he tried to see it through her gaze. A crib. A chest of drawers. A changing table. Even a car seat in the corner by the door.
“We thought you and the baby should have your own place,” Mama said. “Welcome to your new home.”
Daisy started crying again and hugged Mama. “I can’t—you shouldn’t have—I can’t believe it—”
Mama patted Daisy’s back and winked at Xander over her shoulder. “You can, and we wanted to. You wouldn’t tell an old woman she can’t do what she wants with her money, would you? What’s the point of being rich otherwise?”
Daisy pulled back enough to see Mama’s face. “You’re not an old woman. You’re the best person ever.”
Mama dabbed her eyes. Xander might’ve had to brush at his as well. Money was sure buying Daisy a few minutes of happiness now. That alone was worth the expense.
They distracted Daisy for the next half hour by showing her the various things for the baby. TC delivered the doula, along with Hallie, who had also messaged Carly, and apparently Bernajean was in their kitchen preparing food for everyone. They got Daisy settled in the next room, on her own bed, queen sized so she’d have plenty of room to cuddle the baby or, later, comfort a toddler.
Xander retreated to the main house with Josh and TC. They filled mugs with coffee and kicked back to wait. Part of Xander wished he could stay there with Daisy throughout her labor, but it wasn’t his place. She was surrounded by women who would take care of her. If anything went wrong—and he’d said plenty of prayers that it wouldn’t—they’d call the EMTs and get her to the hospital.
His gut churned at the thought. When Bernajean brought out a plate of warm biscuits, he had one to settle his stomach. “Weird being here and knowing what she’s going through out there.”
“I’m glad Carly is getting a firsthand look,” Josh said. “At least I hope I am. If it scares her off, we’re in trouble.”
TC stared at him. “What do you mean, in trouble? You mean like actual trouble of the pregnancy and labor type with a specific date forecast?”
Josh nodded, looking a little green. “Seemed like a good idea at the time. We were going to tell y’all this week.”
Xander and TC whooped and congratulated him. Xander grinned at his brothers. They were settling down, getting married, starting families. It was strange and wonderful.
Would his turn come someday?
The guys delivered breakfast to the cottage and then returned to the house to eat their own. At dawn, they headed out in the lingering rain to take care of chores. When he finished, Xander showered. He wanted to meet the baby, and he wasn’t about to take mud and muck into the new baby’s presence. He almost felt like putting on his church clothes to meet the baby, but he resisted. That was just silly. A clean, soft flannel shirt would be fine.
Finally Carly and Hallie passed back through the house, yawning, and delivered the message that Daisy and the baby had both been cleaned up and were ready for company. Xander’s, anyway—Josh and TC were going to wait until later.
Xander hurried to the cottage. He paused outside, smoothed his hair, and called himself an idiot. It wasn’t like the baby was going to remember this first meeting anyway. He knocked. A minute later, Mama open the door, all smiles. She ushered him into the bedroom, where Daisy sat up in bed holding a swaddled bundle. Xander met Daisy’s gaze.
She grinned, tired but full of joy. “Come meet him. He’s perfect.”
Xander moved closer so he could look down at the baby. Newborns were so tiny! “He is perfect. What are you going to call him?”
Daisy studied the little face. “I don’t know. I’m certainly not naming him after his father. Or my father or brothers. He and I are starting a new life with no ties to the past. I’ve considered a lot of names, but I’d hoped when I saw him something would feel right.”
Xander glanced out the window, where the gray light was giving way to high clouds. They’d probably have blue skies by noon. “If we were naming animals, I’d suggest something to do with the storm. But Thunder, Lightning, and Rain don’t really work for a child. Well, maybe Rain. At least that’s a name sometimes used for humans.”
They all studied the tiny bundle. Daisy wrinkled her nose. “I think I want something more traditional.”
“This hurricane is Bartholomew,” Ava said. “That’s been around forever.”
“Bartholomew.” Daisy shifted the baby to rest between her bent knees. “It doesn’t really seem to fit this little guy.” The baby yawned. Daisy planted a kiss on his nose. “Besides, I don’t want to relive this night every time someone asks about his name. I want something that’s his, but... It’s hard to explain.”